flatfish
Enable an agent to recognise flatfish, assess an individual or population in its life-stage and habitat context, and determine appropriate observation, handling or management actions.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 28 questions
Identity and biological unit Establishes what the flatfish label denotes and which biological subject is being assessed.
Grouping and taxon
Connects the registry concept to a defensible taxonomic identification.
Taxonomic resolution
Record the supported rank, accepted name, authority and identification evidence without forcing species-level precision.
- Which taxonomic treatment defines membership in the flatfish grouping, and which accepted taxon does this record support? definition
- Which examined key, specimen determination or molecular result supports the identification, authority and external taxonomy identifiers? provenance
Individual and population
Separates observations of a fish from claims about a stock, population or taxon.
Claim subject
Attach each condition, distribution or management claim to its actual biological and geographic subject.
- Does this statement concern an individual flatfish, a sampled population, a managed stock or an entire taxon? boundary
- What evidence connects the observed fish to the named population or stock rather than merely to the same species? provenance
Asymmetry and development Represents eye migration, anatomical sidedness and their interpretation across life stages.
Ocular and blind sides
Records anatomical sides independently of camera orientation and colour.
Side identification
Determine ocular side, resting side and body compression from direct anatomical evidence.
- Which anatomical side carries the eyes, and which side contacts the substrate during observed resting? measurement
- What features distinguish this candidate from a dorsoventrally flattened ray or another bottom-associated fish? boundary
Metamorphic transition
Relates observed asymmetry to developmental progress.
Stage-dependent recognition
Record developmental evidence before interpreting incomplete eye migration or unusual orientation as abnormal.
- What observed eye position, body form and other stage markers support the assigned developmental stage? measurement
- Which species-specific developmental reference supports distinguishing normal transition from atypical development? provenance
Habitat and population space Connects flatfish occurrence to substrate, water conditions, life stage and geographic evidence.
Substrate and water
Characterises the immediate environment and observed use of the bottom.
Observed habitat use
Record bottom contact, burial or swimming together with substrate and environmental measurements.
- Was the fish resting, partially buried or swimming, and over what substrate and at what depth? measurement
- What measured water conditions and taxon-specific evidence support judging this habitat suitable for the observed stage? provenance
Range and stage movement
Distinguishes occurrence records from established range and life-stage movement.
Distribution evidence
Keep native-range claims, isolated observations and nursery or spawning habitat assignments distinct.
- Which dated, identified records support native occurrence in this area, and which indicate introduced or uncertain occurrence? provenance
- What evidence identifies this location as a nursery, feeding or spawning area for the specified population? boundary
Condition, growth and reproduction Supports assessment of individual health and reproductive state with attention to asymmetric anatomy.
Side-specific condition
Examines both sides and assesses functional behaviour.
Condition evidence
Record lesions, pigmentation, respiration and movement without treating resting or burial alone as evidence of illness.
- What lesions, pigmentation changes or external abnormalities occur on each side, and how were they documented? measurement
- Do observed respiration, swimming and substrate responses justify intervention under an appropriate species-specific handling protocol? action
Growth and maturity
Interprets body size, sex and maturity without unsupported age or sex assignments.
Size and reproductive interpretation
Pair measurements and maturity determinations with methods and applicable reference populations.
- What length convention, mass measurement and age-estimation method were used for this fish? measurement
- What evidence supports sex, maturity or sexual dimorphism for this taxon, and is external examination sufficient? provenance
Conservation and intervention Connects population evidence and applicable requirements to decisions involving flatfish.
Population assessment
Records the scope and limits of conservation and abundance evidence.
Assessment applicability
Separate conservation assessments from fisheries stock assessments and attach each to its named subject.
- Which conservation or stock assessment applies, with what assessment year, taxonomic scope and geographic coverage? provenance
- Do apparent abundance changes remain comparable after accounting for gear, effort, substrate and sampled life stages? measurement
Capture, handling and disposition
Determines justified actions for an encountered or captured flatfish.
Permitted and appropriate action
Combine identification confidence, condition and verified local requirements before choosing an intervention.
- Which current species, size, season, area and permit requirements govern capture, retention, transport or release here? action
- Given identification uncertainty, capture history and condition, what handling and disposition does the applicable protocol support? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of flatfish this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of flatfish this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of flatfish this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of flatfish this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of flatfish this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of flatfish this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of flatfish this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of flatfish this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- noun.animal
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.LIV
- Tags
- animal
- Facets: substance
- living
- Facets: origin
- natural
- Facets: agency
- autonomous
- Facets: mobility
- self-moving
- Facets: scale
- not-applicable
- Facets: affordances
- observable
- Other names and narrower kinds
- righteye flounder, righteyed flounder, yellowtail flounder, Limanda ferruginea, winter flounder, blackback flounder, lemon sole, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, Microstomus kitt, lefteye flounder, lefteyed flounder, southern flounder
What it is Filled
Flatfish are ray-finned fishes traditionally grouped in the order Pleuronectiformes whose development typically produces a laterally compressed, asymmetrical body with both eyes on one side, allowing them to rest and swim with the opposite side facing the seabed.
In scope
- Identification within the flatfish grouping, with taxonomic authority and evidence
- Body asymmetry, eye placement, pigmentation and developmental stage
- Individual condition, growth, reproduction and handling needs
- Population-specific habitat use, distribution and environmental exposure
- Species- and population-specific conservation and permitted interventions
Out of scope
- Other bottom-associated fishes identified only by a flattened silhouette
- Flatfish meat, fillets and seafood products
- Fishing vessels, fishing gear and seafood supply chains
- Aquaculture facilities and their general operating systems
- Marine habitats and ecosystems beyond their relationship to flatfish
Why it exists Filled
Enable an agent to recognise flatfish, assess an individual or population in its life-stage and habitat context, and determine appropriate observation, handling or management actions.
Distinguishing features Filled
- For a post-metamorphic candidate, establish that both eyes occupy the same anatomical side rather than merely appearing close together in a photograph.
- Determine whether the fish rests on one anatomical side; distinguish this from a dorsoventrally flattened fish resting on its belly.
- Check that the apparent upper and lower surfaces are the ocular and blind sides, using anatomy rather than colour alone.
- For larvae or transitional individuals, require developmental or taxonomic evidence rather than rejecting identification because adult asymmetry is absent or incomplete.
- Resolve identification below the common label using an appropriate identification key; eye side or bottom-dwelling behaviour alone does not establish species.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Help land undersized fish or exceed catch limits.
- Mislabel one flatfish species as another in trade.
- Handle live fish in ways that cause avoidable suffering.
- Disturb protected seabed habitats in collecting fish.
Only with a human decision
- Setting or changing fishing quotas or closures.
- Releasing or relocating live fish.
May
- Identify flatfish species from images, citing the features used and the uncertainty.
- Record catches and sightings for surveys the agent is authorized to support.
Moral aspects Filled
- Many flatfish stocks have been overfished, and trawling for them damages the seabed.
- Fish can suffer; their welfare in capture and slaughter matters.
Who is affected
- The fish themselves
- Fishing communities
- Consumers buying labelled fish
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody when wild; fisheries authorities manage the stocks.
Master systems
- Fisheries catch and landing records
- Biodiversity species databases
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- oewn-02554802-n - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.flatfish
- Open English WordNet: oewn-02659998-n
Direct properties required Filled
- Biological subject level: registered grouping | taxon | population | individual
- Taxonomic identification: accepted taxon, rank, authority and date, identification source, confidence, and verified external identifiers
- Developmental stage: egg | larva before metamorphosis | metamorphosing | juvenile | adult | unresolved
- Ocular side and eye migration: ocular side: left | right | unresolved; migration: absent | incomplete | complete | atypical
- Resting orientation: left side down | right side down | other observed orientation | unobserved
- Body length: mm, with total or standard length explicitly identified
- Side-specific pigmentation and lesions: ocular-side and blind-side observations recorded separately, with lighting and image context
- Habitat association: location, date, substrate, waterbody type and life stage
- Environmental exposure: depth in m, temperature in °C, dissolved oxygen in mg/L, and salinity with its measurement scale
- Sex and reproductive maturity: sex and maturity classification, determination method, or unknown
- Assessment and protection applicability: named taxon or population, assessment category, assessment year, geographic scope and applicable jurisdiction
Recognition required Filled
- A flattened body lying on one side on the seabed.
- Both eyes on the upper side and a pale underside.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Identify a candidate flatfish and record uncertainty at the narrowest defensible taxonomic rank.
- Document metamorphosis and side-specific anatomy through staged observations.
- Assess individual condition using behaviour, body measurements and ocular- and blind-side examinations.
- Relate observations to substrate, depth and life-stage-specific habitat use.
- Compare population observations when identification and sampling methods are compatible.
- Determine whether observation, capture, handling, release or retention is appropriate under verified local requirements.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Overfishing and stock collapse.
- Bycatch of juveniles and other species.
- Species fraud in seafood labelling.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- The International Standard Statistical Classification of Aquatic Animals and Plants, maintained by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, includes group 31 for flounders, halibuts and soles in fishery statistics.
Context of use required Filled
- Flatfish are encountered mainly in seabed habitats, with some species also occupying brackish or fresh water.
- They are observed in ecological surveys and managed in fisheries, aquaculture and conservation work.
- Their life stage matters because larvae generally lack the pronounced body asymmetry of adults.
Sources Filled
- Open English WordNet 2024, synset oewn-02659998-n - sense and gloss of the concept
- Wiktionary: flatfish - word senses and usage
Open questions
- Which authoritative taxonomic treatment should anchor the registry grouping, including its accepted name, authority, date and verified GBIF and NCBI mappings?
- Which identification characters reliably separate the constituent taxa, and where does eye-side variation limit their use?
- Which species-specific developmental references distinguish normal metamorphosis from atypical eye migration or pigmentation?
- How should the registry's sea-floor wording accommodate documented non-marine habitat use and life stages that do not occupy the bottom?
- Which regional assessments, sex and maturity references, and handling protocols provide sufficient evidence for decisions about the populations encountered?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-flatfish/spec.json